LarrySellerz

Hey guys, taking stock of my bicycle graveyard, I need at least 8 tires and 8 tubes, that would give me a couple spares. What is the best bang for my buck? 25-28s should work.

think buying from a local store is better than online?

Edit: meant this for general cycling, but all the bikes are commuters that are meant to be fast on the road.

SoSmellyAir

Tires: Continental Ultra Sport III
Tubes: Michelin AirStop A1

howsteepisit

Call around - see what local shops are able to offer for a bulk purchase, also check with some of the online sellers. I use bike tires direct and am happy with their service and shipping.

Iride01 

Find your best deal and if you are ready to part with your money then get them from that place with the best deal. If it's a online store, then make sure they've been around awhile and it otherwise looks like a trustworthy place. Amazon is seldom the best price for tires, unless you are going with brand that no one has ever heard of before.

mstateglfr 

I consistently find road and gravel tires on Amazon for less than other online retailers. So go figure.

Iride01 

Okay, so how 'bout if I say, don't count on Amazon as always the best price. If you don't look elsewhere you'll never know.

Better?

I admit it's been a while since I've had to buy a tire. But Amazon definitely wasn't selling the GP5000 clincher for $32.00 then. So I got a better deal at bike closet back then.

indyfabz

You can commute on anything. At least one person bought a custom Engin ti with a custom rear rack for his daily commute. When I worked, I commuted on a LHT.

slow rollin

I like ebay. Search tire size first, then go by brand and tire size and you can find some crazy deals(imo).
Bike tire websites can be a good deal too. Many months ago I got some decent mtb tires for 10 dollars each from a well known brand via their website.

tFUnK

AliExpress has been good to me. I like the Grand Sport Race (don't take my word for it, take Ray Hosler's). Never been of fan of the Ultra Sports (slow, not durable enough for commuting).

AliExpress also has TPU tubes in bulk.

mstateglfr 

- Grand Sport Race? I had to google this to even know what it is, and after a few looks and being on Conti's site, I cant figure out how good it is compared to common Conti tires like the GP5K, UltraSport III, and GatorSkin. Even Conti's own site is basically worthless for helpful info.
- At $48 per tire, what is the benefit of buying these vs spending $7 more and buying a tubed GP5K tire?
- I had to google who Ray Hosler is. Seems like a longtime rider, cool. Why would his view on a tire be any more valuable than others who ride a lot each year?
- The link you provided to Ray's website is from 10 years ago and discusses the Conti GatorSkin tire. That is different from the tire you mention, which is a Grand Sport Race. Why did you link a 10 year old blog post about a tire that you arent even talking about?
- The AliExpress link you provided is for UItraSport III tires, which are the tires you said you are not a fan of. What?!



So many levels of confusion here.

Eyes Roll

Buy the tires from the Local Bicycle Shop (LBS), even if the prices are higher. By doing so, you will be supporting the small business owners in your town and helping your local community to survive and thrive. God will bless you in some other ways.

Additionally, the extra cost you incur when purchasing tires from the LBS can easily be offset by riding the bicycle for 50 or 100 miles, considering the average gas prices in the country are at least $3.50 per gallon

Don't be "penny wise and pound foolish," OPie.

SoSmellyAir

I had used Grand Sport Race ("GSR") a few years ago when they were priced only slightly more than UltraSport III ("US3"). GSR and US3 are both made in China with the same outer compound (i.e., Pure Grip) but the GSR has an additional nylon puncture protection layer (i.e., Nytech Breaker) that the US3 does not have. Thus, GSR has similar construction and the same number of layers as Grand Prix 5000 ("GP5K"), but the GP5K is made in Germany and features Black Chili outer compound and Vectran Breaker puncture protection layer. Lastly, GSR is also wider for a given nominal size as it was from the same era as GP4K.

tFUnK

The AliExpress link has multiple product options, the Grand Sport Race is on there, along with the Ultra Sports.

Sorry, I posted the wrong blog link, good catch. Here's the review on the GSRs.

My knowledge may be a bit dated but IIRC the GSRs were cheaper than the GP4K or GP5K, but I agree the latter are superior.

SoSmellyAir

I would not buy a GSR instead of a GP5K to save only $7.

But the original inquiry was by LarrySellerz and he was asking about 8 tires and 8 tubes, so I had recommended the US3, which is roughly 2/3 as much as the GSR, as the minimal acceptable option.

tFUnK

Me neither, if $7 is the difference per tire.

The link I posted shows $50 for a pair of GSRs which I consider to be pretty cheap. I guess since it's AliExpress one might wonder about the authenticity of the product - valid concern, but maybe inconsequential to the OP if they just wanted cheap tires😁

jaxgtr

Should have posted this 2 weeks ago, I had about 30 brand new Vittoria 700 23-28 sized tubes that someone gave me when they got divorced and the ex did not take them. Wish he had left his 1982 Colnago Nuovo Mexico, but no, just the tubes. He loved that bike more than his wife, so I can understand why it did not last, but I digress. Anyway, I donated them to a bike coop.